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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27670351">Run, rabbit, run</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/harinezumiko/pseuds/harinezumiko'>harinezumiko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! GX</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon-Typical Violence, Choking, Collars, Crack Treated Seriously, Dehydration, M/M, Starvation, Torture</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:28:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,939</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27670351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/harinezumiko/pseuds/harinezumiko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>(spoilers for s3) Manjoume finds himself returned to the Dark World after his death at the hands of the Mad King Brron, and Judai. Haou seems to have use for him yet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haou | Supreme King/Manjoume Jun | Chazz Princeton</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Run, rabbit, run</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioVayo/gifts">VioVayo</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Floating.</p><p>Drifting.</p><p>Soft yellowish particles fizzed brightly in the dark. One slipped slowly towards another, linking and merging. Another pair spiralled in to join them, clusters shining galactic, atomic.</p><p>Fear.</p><p>Hurt.</p><p>The clusters coalesced, forming a vague outline, a blob with a smaller blob atop it, and four spindly extremities.</p><p>Cold.</p><p>Hungry.</p><p>The outline wavered, collapsed, and came together once more, the figure of a human now huddled on the floor. It clutched its head in its hands and wailed, softly.</p><p>Why.</p><p>Judai.</p><p>The form took on colour as it became more distinct. Black hair, swept to one side of a sharp-featured face. A certain redness about the grey eyes. Knobbles and ridges showed clearly along its back and sides in its hunched-over position.</p><p>It shivered, looking around itself, settling on the one dim rectangle of light in its field of view.</p><p>Something slammed shut across the rectangle, a clang ringing in the figure's ears. A powerful impression remained, two unwavering golden eyes.</p><p>The figure slumped onto its side, fingers clutching at nothing, and wept.</p><hr/><p>Manjoume did not sleep, and technically, he did not dream. Still, visions came to him - a great arena carved from rock, floor laid with blood-soaked sand. An impatient figure, bright red against the grey stone, laying the small piece of shining card that would prove Manjoume's downfall. The cold press of the metal restraints against his wrists as he strained, shouting himself hoarse. The lurch in his chest as-</p><p>A metallic screech accompanied the small window sliding open. Manjoume sat up, back to the door, arms held tight around his bare knees, and looked around.</p><p>The same golden eyes stared unflinching, inflicting a great pressure on Manjoume's soul. He hugged his knees tighter, pulled his head a little taller, and stared back.</p><p>The window slammed shut once more and a series of scrapes and clangs replaced it. A door finally opened into what Manjoume could now dimly tell was a dungeon cell. The floor was bare save for a bucket in one corner and some loose straw, and the stone walls were ornamented only with iron shackles and chains.</p><p>A small imp-like creature scuttled in and started to poke and prod Manjoume. He tried to resist, but his muscles felt newborn, and he only succeeded in limply swatting at thin air. Eventually, seemingly satisfied, the creature shuffled away and returned with a coarse rag which it tugged over Manjoume's head.</p><p>Manjoume pulled it down further, the material scratchy over his back and ass, and risked another look back at the door.</p><p>Black armour, cruelly spiked, with dull gold trim. A red cape, the only thing vibrant in the world of perpetual twilight, secured to the heavy plating by fantastically sized purple gems. A face, familiar yet not, partly obscured by a great helmet. And always, that gaze - stern, intimidating, terrifying.</p><p>The two muscled creatures flanking him stepped in front, spears thrust forward, and the monstrous king turned and walked away. His boots rang heavy on the stone floor, each step pounding in Manjoume's chest.</p><p>"Where are the others?" yelled Manjoume. "Where's Tenjoin-kun? Where's-"</p><p>The imp squeaked and ran back out just as the guards closed the door, barely scraping through.</p><p>Alone with his thoughts once more, Manjoume tried to ignore the scratching of his poor clothing, but that only led him to remember the gnawing in his belly. Blank out that, and fierce golden eyes hammered in his head.</p><hr/><p>"You must be hungry by now," said the guard the next day. At least, Manjoume assumed it was the next day. Time passed, the guards would come in and out, sometimes accompanied by their ruler - but without sunlight, and with patchy sleep, it was difficult to tell how long he had been held prisoner.</p><p>The other guard laughed, tossing something that was almost but not quite a chicken wing in his hand before tearing a chunk of ill-smelling meat of it. </p><p>Manjoume retched, but still couldn't take his eyes off the only food he'd seen since he arrived.</p><p>"Haou has a gift for you," said the first guard. "You should be honoured."</p><p>Manjoume looked eagerly over, anticipating a meal, but was instead greeted by the tight pull of leather around his throat.</p><p>The second guard tossed the bone aside. "Follow."</p><p>It was useless to resist. If Manjoume could put up a fight, which was impossible in his current undernourished state, he would just be dragged along by the thick chain attached to the collar, and potentially choke in the process. He could barely keep up as it was, shuffling barefoot along cold stone.</p><p>Haou sat on a throne striking in its lack of decoration. It was stone, like the rest of the castle, and cut at brutal angles. Its presence came almost solely from the aura of the one atop it.</p><p>The guards pushed Manjoume to his knees at the foot of the throne. Haou leaned forward, inspecting the collar, and rested his chin in his fist, his elbow on his knee.</p><p>"Do you like my gift?"</p><p>"Screw you," said Manjoume. He would have spat at the floor had he not been immediately yanked back by the guards. He scrabbled at the collar as he was dragged out of the room and yanked back to his cell.</p><p>After the door slammed shut he felt around in the dark, ignoring the pain in his neck and knees and the filth on the floor. Triumphant, he held aloft the discarded bone and sucked at it, forcing down the remnants of protein. He tried to crack the bone to get at the marrow inside but it was too much for his faded strength. Clumsy fingers fumbled at the lock on the back of the collar, but it was unremovable. He whimpered, hot around the eyes, but too dehydrated to cry.</p><hr/><p>"Do you like my gift?"</p><p>Haou edged one gloved finger under the collar. Its pointed tip rested at the soft skin between Manjoume's throat and chin. Manjoume's breath caught, stifled and shallow.</p><p>"I asked you a question."</p><p>Manjoume licked his cracked lips with a dry tongue and croaked out a yes. It stung his pride to say, but if he could stay alive long enough to get his hands on a deck, he might have a chance -</p><p>"Oh? Is that all?"</p><p>The finger tugged slightly, pulling Manjoume forward, his head level with Haou's armoured knees.</p><p>"Yes, Haou, I like it very much. Thank you." The words scratched their way out of Manjoume's constricted throat. </p><p>"Good boy." The finger slipped out from the collar and Haou rested his hand briefly on Manjoume's head while he gulped in air.</p><p>Manjoume felt himself be tugged back once more, and raised his arms against the beating that usually came, but instead found a small cup pressed into his hands. He sniffed it cautiously, before deciding he wasn't in any position to refuse, and downing what turned out to be only slightly brackish water.</p><p>"Thank you, Haou," he said again, scrabbling forward once more to rest his head against Haou's leg. He felt Haou's fingers in his hair once more and swallowed down the resulting bile.</p><p>"No more," said Haou, and the guards dragged Manjoume back to his cell. Still, he received a dry bread roll and a second cup of water the next time they visited.</p><hr/><p>The first time Haou took his helmet off, Manjoume nearly lost his cool. It was one thing to believe that the thing under the armour had once been his classmate, his rival, his friend - and quite another to know it in his fragile bones, to see that usually-smiling mouth set in a grim line, to feel the intensity of those strange new eyes under the fluffy auburn hair.</p><p>It didn't, however, change the position Manjoume was in. Be obedient, and survive to be rewarded. Rebel, and be beaten, denied food and rest. He was no closer to obtaining a deck of his own. Cards were jealously guarded, given how lives depended on them.</p><p>His strategy evolved, as it always did. Stick close to Haou. Be the perfect little pet. It protected him from the other perils of Haou's court and maybe, eventually, if Haou's guard were to lower enough around him, he could sneak away with some of the cards displayed trophy-like in Haou's bedchamber.</p><p>Haou looked so small out of armour, in the high-collared black shirt and trousers that he wore under it. Small, and somehow tired, his threatening aura now that of a scared feral dog. Still, Manjoume didn't doubt that he would bite if provoked.</p><p>Manjoume nestled between Haou's legs, nuzzled his hand, and felt it come up and pat gently on his head.</p><p>"Haou has vanquished many foes today," said Manjoume softly. "Great and powerful Haou, how can your humble servant be of meagre assistance?"</p><p>Haou looked down slowly, as if returning from a great distance. He tugged on the chain, pulling Manjoume's head up to examine his face. Manjoume dropped his eyes.</p><p>"What did I do that was so wrong?" Haou asked. His tone was neutral, and Manjoume might have taken it for a rhetorical question had Haou not then jerked the chain impatiently.</p><p>"Haou makes the rules," said Manjoume, cautiously, stroking Haou's shin, "so Haou can do no wrong."</p><p>"Hmmm..." Haou let go of the chain, and Manjoume's head dropped to his thigh. "Then why..."</p><p>"Why what, Haou?" Manjoume clung on to Haou's leg.</p><p>Haou looked down again, his expression inscrutable. "You love me, don't you, Manjoume?"</p><p>Manjoume bit back the 'san' that had formed on his tongue out of habit. "Haou... Judai..."</p><p>Manjoume heard the slap before he felt it, the pain blossoming in his cheek as he fell backwards. "Haou, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Haou..."</p><p>Haou kicked Manjoume over as he stood, and marched over to put on his armour once more. Someone was in for a beheading and Manjoume hoped to the heavens it wasn't him. He crawled over, remaining on his knees, trying to help Haou secure the complex pieces to his body, but Haou just pushed him over repeatedly.</p><p>Eventually, half-dressed, Haou gave up and stalked out of his bedchamber to the audience hall. Manjoume followed, the end of the chain still in Haou's hand.</p><p>The voices of the many monsters hushed as soon as Haou entered. There was a giggle from a goblin, who instantly received an axe to the head from the ox-like monster beside him. The collected monsters bowed before their king.</p><p>Eventually, one brave demon spoke up. "Oh great and powerful Haou, if I may, your boots..."</p><p>"You may not." Haou strapped the duel disk on his arm and scanned the room, his aura causing a second wave of bows. "Bring me a prisoner."</p><p>The crowd at the back of the hall parted, and two great beasts pulled a trembling spellcaster, muzzled and shackled, up towards the throne. She froze at the sight of Haou. The beasts moved behind her and pushed her forwards, shoving a battered and bloodied duel disk onto her wrist. She gasped as her muzzle was removed to permit her to duel. Her eyes flicked downwards, alighting on the incongruity in Haou's attire.</p><p>Manjoume jittered at Haou's side, ready to run and fetch Haou's boots, were it not for the tight grip Haou still had on his chain. The king stepped forward, his usual intimidating stomp replaced by the soft pad of felt. His gaze was enough to warn the room not to say anything further on the matter, but every pair of eyes in the room, Manjoume's included, were fixed on the fluffy pink rabbit-eared slippers.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy birthday Vio! I promised you ages ago I'd have a go at rageshipping so here you go~ hope it's not too heavy for your birthday haha! I went too hard for a silly joke... I didn't get to put the line in about how Judai it is to wear three different things at once but still I had fun writing :3 hope you like?</p><p>Thanks to RustedWireWitch for reading over first.</p><p>As this is a giftfic, criticism is not sought at this time.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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